Philip Stoddard, Harold Wanless

Last fall, an exceptionally high tide flooded Miami Beach’s streets and forced tourists to slosh their way to their hotels. As global warming accelerates the rise of the sea level, the state of Florida and some local governments want to fight for their own survival, but Harold Wanless and Philip Stoddard are urging a reality check: Global warming, they say, will drown South Florida. It can’t be reversed.

Q&A: Philip Stoddard

Favorite book this year:

“What We Think About When We Try Not to Think About Global Warming,” by Per Espen Stoknes.

Does America need to be “made great again”?

No. America cannot be “made great.” We are only great when we do great things for people in the world besides ourselves (e.g., the Marshall Plan).

Best Trump historical comparison:

A cross between Joe McCarthy and P.T. Barnum.

Something to miss about President Obama?

His academic, evidence-based approach to solving problems.

A word of advice for the next president:

When H.L. Mencken wrote, “Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey-cage,” that was not a directive—please hire people who actually know what they are doing.

Q&A: Harold Wanless

Favorite book this year:

“High Tide On Main Street,” by John Englander.

Does America need to be “made great again”?

Well, it has significantly diminished under Bush and Obama. So yes. However, we looked really great in the Olympics, which gives us the insight that we still have the ability and spirit.

Best Trump historical comparison:

Teddy Roosevelt.

Something to miss about President Obama?

Afraid I lost respect for him over the past year.

A word of advice for the next president:

Put dealing with the effects of climate change front and center. We have to plan for reality now to prevent societal chaos later. And really do something; we are beyond the discussions.

The nations of the world reached a historic consensus in Paris last year when they agreed to limit carbon emissions, but arguably for many of the world’s low-lying coastal areas, the deal came too little, too late. Wanless, a geologist from the University of Miami and South Florida’s climate change Cassandra, has said for years that much of South Florida would sink; his prediction that the state’s southern tip has only a half-century left above water has earned him the nickname “Dr. Doom.” He predicts that the rate of sea-rise will be much faster than most models suggest—Miami Beach will experience 10 to 30 feet of sea-rise by 2100, he says—and that moving to higher ground will be the only real option for many residents of South Florida. For that reason, he has openly criticized Miami Beach’s program to install flood pumps as a waste of money. “Why would you put $100 million into infrastructure that won’t even survive the next foot of sea-level rise?” Wanless asks.

Stoddard, the mayor of South Miami and a biology professor at Florida International University, also believes it’s futile to resist the effects of climate change. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do. “Ultimately this area has to depopulate,” he told the New Yorker in December. He recommends a series of managed retreats in which the residents of Miami could migrate inland, while much of the city is turned over to protective wetlands and aquatic parks.

In a country convinced it can innovate or spend its way out of any challenge, the simple idea that humans need to relocate is a profoundly challenging vision. It’s perhaps politically braver than many of the alternatives, even if it might seem obvious in a generation.